Apple is now just $5 million away from the worlds largest purchaser of accelerometers, gyroscopes and microphones, Samsung. According to Apple Insider, the large volume of products coming out of the Cupertino company which may contain at least one of these devices, such as the iPad, iPhone 4 and iPod Touch means the company overtook the previous number two, Nintendo. The company responsible for manufacturing the three axis gyroscopes is STMicroelectronics, with further hardware bought from TriQuint and Knowles Electronics. Most of these components, especially accelerometers, are featured in the iPad and Macbook range.

The chief analyst at iSuppli, Jeremie Bouchaud, said, "Consumers in 2010 happily bought up Apple products including the iPhone 4, the iPad and iPod Touch. Much of the appeal of these products lies in their sophisticated user interfaces, which rely heavily on MEMS sensors, specifically accelerometers, gyroscopes and microphones. This caused Apple's purchasing to boom in 2010."Apple increased purchases of these devices by 116.7% in 2010 to $195 million. Last year, the company started adding a gyroscope, which adds precise movement controls for applications and games, to its iOS devices, starting with the iPhone 4 and then moving on to the iPad.

With more products in the pipeline, including the iPhone 5, Apple may overtake Samsung very soon to become the number one.